Murphy's Law
by HerRoyalMajestyTheQueen
Summary: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong when these sisters are present.
1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Prologue – absence makes the heart grow fonder

Leslie absently sang along with the song on the radio trying to stay the growing boredom. "One bourbon, one scotch, one beer. Well, I ain't seen my baby nigh on a week….Damn it, turn!" Traffic at the airport was horrendous and Leslie was getting more than a little impatient. Today her sister, Regina, was flying into Philadelphia international airport. There would be a brief week of visiting with friends and family before they were of to Europe.

Leslie received a scholarship from Oxford and would be attending in the fall semester, before then they were to explore all of the British Isles. They planned on spending a few weeks in a castle as well as visiting places like Hadrian's Wall. Just some sister time before their lives got too hectic. This would be their first time in Europe and excited didn't cover it.

As Leslie pulled up to the gate for arriving flights she clicked of the George Thoroughgood song, unlocked the doors and slowed down to try and catch a glimpse of her sister. At first she was going to drive around again not spotting her then she heard a very distinct voice.

"Lovely, you don't even recognize your sister…" There stood Regina with the same attitude as ever. She was very tiny no more than 5' tall but carried herself in such a way that she often seemed much taller. Her sister had short layered honey colored hair with highlights that got lighter and lighter until they were white. With a hand on her hip and luggage at her feet she smirked at her sister. "You'd think we were strangers."

"Har Har Har, smart ass. Get your luggage and get in." Leslie jumped out of the car to help her put the luggage in the trunk. When she came around the car Regina embraced her and laughed.

"You know Les if you don't stop growing everyone will think I'm your little sister…"

"Jean they already do." Leslie stood at about 5'6", slender with a tiny waist and long blonde hair that fell to almost her waist. She possessed the type of beauty that made both men _and_ women look twice; yet she never seemed to notice. Her brothers called girls that kind of beauty, "traffic jam pretty." Meaning that even in sweat clothes she could stop traffic.

The whole way home they enjoyed each others company and sang along to a few older mix tapes. These next few weeks they were going to have a lot of fun. While growing up, they rarely got along well but after Regina went to college and they were not in the same household they became very close. They were very different in many ways. Leslie tended to be more introverted upon first meetings or with large groups of people but she was easy going and had a sunny personality. People tended to trust her instinctually. Regina was much more assertive, she made friends easily even though she tended to be sarcastic; those close to her knew the prickly exterior was a way to protect her chewy center, like a hard candy shell or for a better metaphor a chocolate covered pretzel. Sweet with a bit of sour…

Look out world the Murphy sisters are reunited!


	2. English Lions

Chapter 1 –

"What is the malfunction?"

"Excuse me? Malfunction? Miss you need to calm down, I am sure there is just some misunders-"

"Misunderstanding! You're kidding right? I am more than capable of understanding that this vile little excuse of a _man_ over here is giving us a hard time because my _underage_ sister wasn't interested in his poor example of interest. I want to speak with your superior!" Emphasizing each word Regina shook the said vile little man she had by the scruff of the neck, a feat only possible because the man was kneeling at her feet clutching his recently damaged crotch.

"Yes ma'am, I'll be right back." The little clerk scampered through the side door presumably in search of his manager. Regina and Leslie stood to one side of the customer service counter, only five minutes in England and already Murphy's Law struck. As the saying goes, "Anything that can go wrong will."

So far their flight was delayed two hours, Regina sat between Leslie and a very large man with motion sickness, Leslie's baggage was lost and because she politely turned down a date she was getting a hard time reporting her missing luggage. O yeah, and their rental car company was supposed to pick them up but called to say that they couldn't spare the manpower.

When the door opened an older gentleman stepped through and the vile little man whimpered, he actually whimpered. The older man extended his hand to take Leslie's and shook it with a slight upturn on hers almost as if he would kiss it. It was an old custom that you only see in the much older generations. He turned to Regina as if he would do the same and stopped; instead he bowed his head slightly and said, "Miss Murphy, I apologize for whatever Anton has done. I will personally handle your complaint and I hope to resolve whatever problems you have."

Regina took a step away from Anton (the vile little man) and let go of his neck which now was very red. He would not have a bruise; it was a trick that Regina learned in grade school with nuns… It hurts just enough that you won't move. You slightly twist the hair at the base of the skull. Anton visibly relaxed and scuttled backwards behind the counter where he stood…he wasn't as small as she thought he was…never mind… She returned her attention to the Gentleman before her and extended her hand.

"Thank you very much." He shook her hand without trying to break it or be to gentle. She respected that.

After twenty minutes they were on their way out of the airport with the luggage straightened out – mostly. They would call when it arrived later in the day and have it delivered to their hotel… at the moment it was enroute from Hong Kong. They also received a formal apology from both the Airline and Anton. Today wasn't so bad after all.

The next morning saw them at the rental car agency procuring a vehicle for their stay. They received a mini cooper and spent the next terrifying twenty minutes getting used to driving on the other side of the road. It would take one day and night with frequent stops to reach their destination. They planned to stop and do the touristy thing, along the way there was a stretch of woods they would be passing through, perfect for a picnic.

At the edge of the woods the stopped to eat their sandwiches, it was late afternoon and they wanted to rest up before they drove into the night. They still had a few hours to go before they were to reach the castle. As they finished their meager super it began to rain so they clamored back into the car, their muscles protesting. The headlights never seemed to reach far enough in front of them so they made their way slowly on the forest road the pavement had long given way to dirt. It got so bad that they decided to pull over to the side of the road and see if the storm would pass. They pulled into a clearing and tried to wait out the storm. While it rained they played word games and cards to keep themselves amused.

A few hours later the rain seemed to have quieted so they decided to be on their way. They started the car and tried to pull out on the road but the car seemed to be stuck in the mud. They hadn't seen any other cars since long before the storm. After looking at the complete impossibility of pushing the car from the mud they decided that they better head up the road to try and flag down another car.

They each piled some items into a knap sac incase they had to wait until the next day to get back to the car, changed their shoes, grabbed a coat and a few large trash bags for make shift ponchos. After a little while on the road they came to a crossroads and as Regina took out the map Leslie headed off the road to find a place to rest. It was nearing night fall and they didn't want to travel at night.

When she stepped off the road she noticed a log that was relatively dry. She started to circle the log on the far side of the log there was the remnants of a fire and two small leather packs. When Leslie turned to yell in the direction of her sister she noticed that Regina was no where in sight. She was just gone.

She ran back to the road and looked around hoping that she just up a ways. There was no trace of Regina so she began to look for tracks she noticed that her sister seemed to go towards the right at the fork in the road when it reached the edge of the road the foot prints stopped. Much of the grass was trampled and there seemed to be some kind of struggle there was some blood on the ground but not much. Naturally she believed the worst that cold happen Regina had been eaten by a lion (yes a lion, they were Murphys after all, there was probably a circus nearby that was missing a lion). The graveness of the situation was crashing upon her the owners of the small camp were probably eaten too, or captured by aliens or …

"Oh My God," serial killers…

She needed to get her sister and get out of there, quick. Her mind was racing. As she started to stand she heard the faintest sound of rustling and something brushed her eck before her lights went out.


	3. Were in Kansas anymore

Chapter 2

"Let me go! I can't believe I've been kidnapped by a bunch of Robin Hood wannabes…" Leslie awoke to the dulcet tones of her dearest sister and thanked God that she was alright. "You can at least answer me!" Leslie's hands and feet were bound and she had the sensation of movement beneath her, she suspected that they were being carried when suddenly she was on the ground with a stone sticking uncomfortably into her back. "What are you doing? No!"

Leslie's eyes snapped open in the light cast by the moon she was able to see a man with long dark hair lean over her sister with a knife, she kicked out at the man and knocked him over, only to have another grab her by her feet and yank her away from her sister. _Oh that's right there had to be more than one… hadn't thought of that._ He knelt by her feet and took out a blade similar to the other man's knife and… cut her ankles free. Leslie stopped her struggling, stunned, to look up at the man at her feet.

He had long dark hair pulled back from his face, a strong jaw and wide dark eyes. He also seemed to be smiling at her. Why was he smiling at her? She didn't like the implications of that at all… He said something she didn't understand and looked over to her sister who by know was untied at the ankles and being sat up by the other man. She looked back at her own personal kidnapper and he repeated what he said again. She had no idea what he said.

"Do you speak English?" He stared at her and when she tried to sit up he noticed she was having some difficulty, he helped her to a lean against a tree. "Espanol? Duetsch? Françes? Araby? Anything? Never mind." Through this whole thing he just shook his head obviously he figured out that she was trying to figure out a way to communicate. He sighed and put his canteen to her lips so she could take a drink. When she was finished he glanced over her head and said something to the other man whom she could not see clearly. Both men moved off to her left away from the girls.

"Hey Les?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think we are in Kansas any more…"

"What do you…Oh!" Leslie followed Regina's line of sight off into the woods across from her and gasped. The two men stood conversing on the rise of a knoll with a beautiful sunrise in the background. In the valley below a city was visible. It had beautiful buildings wide and spacious. The girls could do nothing but gape, the men stood silhouetted in the sunrise discussing the fate of their captives, in the early morning light it looked magical.

"Imladris," the man who untied her feet said as turned and approached the girls, pointing down into the valley. The named triggered a memory for Leslie. It sounded familiar and when her sister scoffed at the name she immediately felt uneasy. What did her sister know?

"Ha! I thought he said Imladris." Regina made it sound ludicrous.

Leslie turned slowly to look at her sister dreading what she may know, "He did."

Regina looked across the space between them her eyes large as saucers before they rolled back into her head. Regina collapsed to the ground, before she did so she murmured a word that Leslie could not hear, "Rivendell." As Leslie rushed to her sister she missed the shocked glances shared between brothers.

By the time Leslie was able revive her (which had to be very difficult with hands tied behind your back) one of the brothers, she didn't know which, fetched water quickly and came to kneel at her side. He lifted her head by the back of her neck and helped her drink a little more water.

Regina looked up and searched her sister's face as she drank the water offered to her. When the man pulled away she asked calmly, "Do you know where we are?" After her fainting episode she had regained her composure and was trying to remain clam. Leslie just shook her head no. "Speak in calm tones please, I don't want them to know what we are talking about ok?" nod from Leslie, "They are telling us we are in middle-earth." At Leslie confused face she said, "Middle–earth as in the _Lord of the Rings_." Her sister still looked confused so she added, "You remember that movie I made you watch a while back that had all those cute guys with funny names. You like loved Legolas." At the mention off the name two things happened simultaneously, the men drew in a sharp intake of breath and Leslie became hysterical, with silent laughter so hard that she had tears streaming down her face. Regina just stared at her sister and said, "Shit."

When Leslie calmed herself she asked, "Hey fellas can you untie is now?" gesturing with the hands still behind her back. With the new sunlight the girls noticed several things; First and foremost their captives were twins, very good looking twins. Second, they didn't seem very happy with them after the mention of Legolas. Their faces were stony and they stood tall, much taller than the girls, they seemed rather hostile. Leslie stood up and they both stepped back as if she were a threat. She cocked her head to the side and said,

"This isn't funny anymore. I want to be let go." She took a step toward the closest twin and he pulled a dagger from his belt as if she were going to attack them. "Sit down Leslie. They mean business." She looked at her sister nodded and sat down next to her, very close so they were touching as they were both leaning against the same log. She felt her sister begin to untie her bonds and shifted closer so they would not see between their bodies. She rested her head on her sister's shoulder and shut her eyes as if she was upset. Regina was proud, _Good girl_ she thought.

She thanked whatever powers were out there for her ability to escape most restraints as she worked her sisters bonds loose. She looked up at the men who seemed to have relaxed somewhat and simply said one of the few things she remembered from the movie, "Mae Govannen."

The men looked at her with trepidation and one approached looking down he began speaking rapidly. Regina just shook her head and said with much difficulty, "Pedin Edhellen tithen." Their faces relaxed a little and the other approach and stooped down closer to her she simply said, "_Man?_"

"Regina Murphy," she said, "Leslie Murphy" she nodded her head down at her sister, "sisters, _muinthel_" she said. Nodding to the men she said, "twin brothers, _gwandunig_?" she shook her head, "_muindor_." The man in front of her nodded he obviously understood her meaning "_gwanunig,_" he simply corrected. She smiled in response. She shook her head no and said, "_coth_." He under stood and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked down at her sister and said stay calm I don't think they want to hurt us so stay calm. Okay?"

"Yes." Leslie sat up and looked at the men, "They are really Elves?"

"I think so."

"Talk about bad luck."

"What do you mean? This could be wonderful! It'll be an experience we'll never forget. We could be –"

"I don't doubt it could be great but look at us all dirty and definitely up to scratch and then look at the salty goodness in front of us." Regina let out a bark of laughter and shook her head.

"I'm going to show them what we did." Regina slowly leaned forward looking directly in the eyes of one of her captors, she sat on her hands and slid them up past her knees, she bent at the waist and pulled her legs through her arms. Her hands now sat on her lap with no rope in sight. They realized what she was doing, what she was giving them. She trusted them and was proving to them that they could trust her as well. She then reach over and hugged her sister who returned the hug. It was in that moment the elves realized that _both_ girls had escaped the knots and the elves never noticed.

The girls looked up at the elves then back at each other sharing a silent communication. They stood and gave a slow bow from the waist never taking their eyes off of the brothers. "Leslie and Regina Murphy."

The brothers mimicked the girls and one said, "Elladan a Elrohir."

Regina stood shocked and said, "Elrond atar, ada?" The brothers nodded. She reached out her right hand and one of the brothers did the same. She smiled and leaned forward grabbing his left instead and began walking towards the city. Leslie walked up to the other brother smiled and slipped her hand into his as it rested at his side. As they walked passed a tree each brother grabbed a bundle that was hanging from the branches. Regina noticed one carried their bag as well.


	4. Charades!

Chapter 3

It was still early when they reached the city however there were already people about. They drew several stares but paid no attention (well only a little – it is a little disconcerting). Their escorts didn't say much other than pointing out a few things, however the closer they drew to the center of the city the more they conversed with each other. By agreement it seemed, when they reached the palace they were lead to a room off the main hall by one twins while the other bowed and quickly left their presence.

They were lead into a beautiful open air room with little furniture bar a few benched around the perimeter of the room. The floor was stone and shined brightly in the early morning sun that streamed in the windows. Thick burgundy tapestries hung from either side of the many doors that lead to the wrap around veranda. They sat quietly on the bench closest to the door and awaited their fate. Regina looked up at the twin and said, "Elladan?" He smiled and nodded. Returning his smile she held out her hands in the universal sign of confusion silently asking, "now what?" He gave a graceful roll of his shoulder that she took as a shrug meaning that he wasn't sure either. Regina noticed that he did not have their bag and attempted to mime asking him where it was. He simply smiled obviously having no idea what she was doing. After giving up she took her seat next to Leslie.

"Do you think we are in trouble?'

"No."

"You sure?"

"No."

"Thanks a while hell of a lot."

"Welcome."

"The boys are pretty cute huh?"

"Yup."

"I got dibs."

"You can't have both!'

"Sure I can I called them"

"We'll just see about that, jerk."

A few moments later the doors opened revealing Elrohir and the Elf who could only be Elrond. Elrond began speaking immediately to Elladan, the girls stood to greet their host/captor (they still weren't sure of their status as captives), they gave another bow to Elrohir and curtsied to Elrond, who looked quite taken by surprise. Elladan spoke quickly to his father and the gentleman walked to stand before them. When they were approached they each stated their names and lowered their gaze. Not quite sure what was proper etiquette. He looked closely at both of them and then gave a slight smile and said, "Mae Govannen."

Several hours later after much conversation (and charades) the two parties began to come to an understanding. The sisters were not captives per say however they were asked politely not to leave as their situation was still undetermined. The girls knew they were in middle earth they just didn't know _when_ they were. As they sat in a small office like room and sipped a sweet tea like drink. Leslie looked over to her sister and in a quiet voice asked, "Should we find out _when_ we are?"

"I don't know. How would we do that without giving anything away? I don't know the ages really..."

"Is there a question we could ask that would give you an idea?"

"Well maybe I could ask about Gandalf and that may give us a hint." She looked at Elrond, stood and mimed and old man with long beard and walking stick then said, "Maia." Elrond looked at her closely and said, "Saruman a Mithrandir" on Saruman he held up his hand to show his symbol and pointed to the white table runner, when he said Mithrandir he pointed to a grey bowl in the center of the table.

"Well that tells us they don't know that Gandalf is white yet so it could be any time before he died…"

At the mention of the name Gandalf, Elrond repeated the name, "Mithrandir," and said, "Gandalf." He then gestured as if to say he was far from there.

"Jean, maybe we should tell them what we know then we know that they will win and everything will be ok. You know give them the reassurance they need."

"I don't know the war could be many years ahead of us yet. Let me find out." She approached one twin and had him stand then said, "elf," she made a gesture to a height about nose high on him and said, "man," they seemed to be following this line of thought. She continued with a dwarf size person (that her sister pointed was "Regina size") and then a very small child size that she title "Halfling, Bilbo."

At the mention of Bilbo's name Elrond began to look concerned and proceeded to communicate that he was present in Rivendell. When Regina figured this out she held up her hand and gestured to a ring on her finger then her eye. One uttered word changed the rest of the conversation dramatically, "Sauron?"

Elrond leapt to his feet and the twins sucked in a breath simultaneously and leaned forward. Now standing toe-to-toe with Regina he spoke in a low almost harsh voice while gripping her arms, his grip tightened until it became painful and she let a gasp escape not from discomfort but from the sheer anger in his eyes. Leslie jumped to her feet spouting expletives that only Regina could understand, one brother held her gently but firmly away from the situation. His twin approached their father, speaking quietly and calmly obviously trying to diffuse the situation.

Elrond finally let go and walked a short distance away to the large window. While he looked out the brothers tried to explain the situation. It seemed that they were waiting for the arrival of Aragorn and Frodo. They had not yet arrived and everyone was getting antsy. Regina inquired as to whether a search party had been sent out, when they told her they were to be sent later this day she attempted to tell them to send Glorfindel to the water. They were surprised at her mention of Glorfindel however they did send for a servant and after speaking briefly to that young elf the sent him on his way.

After a longer session of charades they were able to garner a bit more information on both sides. The girls learned that a council was to be held in the coming days and that the problems with Sauron were to be dealt with at that meeting. All they expected to be there were on their way. Elrond and his sons were skeptical but they thought the girls were trying to communicate that they knew the future and that they had read about it in what they thought was a prophecy. They said there was need of more food for the incoming guests… and they mentioned something about a large bird, possiblly.

After their interrogation the twins led them to a room off of the main hall. Leaving the women for a few moments they returned with a plate of food and a washing bowl. The girls being overly grateful thanked them profusely even though there was a slight language barrier the brothers understood and kept them company for the afternoon, attempting to learn from each other.

Much later in the early evening horns were sounded and the brothers left quickly cautioning them to stay in the room and that they would return. Shortly after their departure a hand maiden came in with another round of food and several books. The girls could not read any of the words however the illustrations were magnificent and kept them occupied without their attendants. When night fell the twins returned and bade them to come to the first room they visited when they entered the noticed a tall, broad shouldered, blond elf speaking with Elrond and A dark shaggy looking man who held a good deal of presence.

Looking at each in turn the girls bowed to Elrond and simply said his name then turned to the newcomers and bowed to Glorfindel, this time saying, "Glorfindel, thank you." When the men though to continue their conversation the girls both took a knee in front of Aragorn and said, "Mae Govannen, Estel. Ce aran Aragorn." The stayed bowed until the each felt a hand on their shoulder. The looked up to meet the gaze of a King who was still uncertain in his wisdom. He smiled and, "Gen Hannon."

The girls then stood and asked, "Frodo?" All eyes were on them when Elrond mimed that he was sick but resting and they gave the appropriate serious looks and nodded, Leslie even patted Elrond's arm as if to say you did all you could. "Gandalf?" They inquired and Elrond answered that he too was resting. The girls each breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at that.

The men had all noticed the strange attire the women had on and all had speculations about their sanity none however thought them as simple as they tried to appear. Elrohir had described to them how they were brought to Imladris. Each had on a pair of blue slacks and some kind of leather shoe with laces. However that was where the similarities ended. The taller girl called Leslie wore a short tunic of pale blue and an over tunic of white so that the color showed through. The small sister Regina wore a long sleeved tunic in grey. The both had with them some kind of outerwear made of leather though the style was nothing they had come across before, one in tan the other in grey.

The enquired as to where their bags were and Elladan having figured it out the second time around went to fetch them. While still in the room with the men they open their bags and dumped them onto the floor.

Between the two bags there were many items:

A few changes in clothing all fairly practical

A Small toiletries bag with the essentials

Sunglasses

Flashlight

A pack of batteries

A Lighter

Notepad and Pen

A Small Emergency Kit with medicine

A Worst Case Scenario Book

A paperback copy of The Princess Bride

Swiss army knife

Two water bottles

A Compass

The Map

Wallets and Keys

Candy – mostly chocolate

The men stared at the piles in front of them. Much of the items were lost on them however others were not. Elrond took an interest in the Emergency Kit when it was showed to him, Glorfindel and Aragorn enjoyed the Swiss army knife, Elladan (we think) picked up a water bottle and Elrohir (we think) looked at the map.

Regina put the clothes and toiletries and most of the candy back into one bag leaving the rest out for show and tell. She opened one candy bar and broke it into pieces. She gave a piece to everyone in the room including herself and her sister. The sister looked at each other and said, "Cheers" before eating their little bit of Heaven. The men all looked at each other then at the melting concoction in their hand Aragorn was the first one to try it. He nibbled a small piece, smiled and then put the rest in his mouth. The others followed suit with varying degrees of delight on their faces.

Leslie brought the compass to Elrohir and showed him on the map where they started the day from. He seemed to know what she was getting at and he pointed out on her map where he believed he met up with her and her sister. She showed him the compass and when he looked confused she demonstrated getting lost and finding north. He was fascinated at the ingenuity as wellas how accurate the little toy was.

After a long while the sisters were led to connecting rooms and basically told not to wander and thay they would be called on early the following day. Both being quite exausted they left the door between the two rooms open and fell asleep. Each with deams of cute elves dancing in their heads.


	5. Muy Caliente!

Chapter 4

Jean bolted upright in bed, it was still dark out but the moonlight was drifting in the windows. There was muffled speech coming from her sister's room, thinking there was someone bothering her sister she jumped from the bed but she got stuck in the sheets and fell, cracking her head on the ground. As she lay there blinking away the spots from the fall she heard footsteps and someone helped her back onto the bed. When she could see strait again she saw her sister standing in the door frame with and an old man with a long beard and soft blue eyes behind her.

She swayed slightly and felt a steadying hand on her shoulder; she looked up into big blue eyes. When she could focus a little better she saw that it was Glorfindel who was assisting her. For a moment she couldn't form sentences she thought she may have hit her head a little too hard then she managed a very horse sounding, "Thank you." The older gentleman said something to the elf and he nodded and turned to Jean helping her stand he lead her into her sisters room where there were chairs set up and placed her on a chaise lounge with a blanket then took a seat to her right and poured what looked like tea into a two cups and placed them on a side table between their chairs.

When she looked up at her sister the only thing that came out of her mouth was a muttered, "Muy caliente," (Very Hot). Her sister snickered while the older gentleman in the corner let out a loud snort and spoke haltingly as if unsure if the words were entirely correct, "My Dear, I'm sure he would appreciate such a sentiment." Jean turned wide eyes to the man who was obviously Gandalf and her sister cracked up.

"You understood me?"

"Yes."

"Guess I have to watch my mouth now. It's a pleasure to meet you Gandalf. I have heard so much about you."

"Your sister has been filling me in. She did say however that you know more of the technical," here he pauses as if searching for a word, "arrangements that must be made."

"So you think I should tell you how the story goes in our world so that everything will be ok in this one?"

"Yes. I find that it will reassure everyone. Do not worry I know my destiny already. So far everything Leslie could remember from the beginning of the story happened exactly as she remembered it."

"Alright I better drink this tea to stay awake." She sat up a little straighter and reached to pick up the cup off of the table when it was placed into her hand by Gorfindel. "Are you always this attentive? You could give the guys in our world a few pointers." He wrinkled his brow and smiled at the same time. He had no idea what she said but knew it was meant to be a compliment by the tone of her voice and her facial expressions.

"To right!" Leslie piped up. Glorfindel looked to her sister and then to Gandalf who chuckled and briefly explained the exchange. When Gandalf finished Glorfindel colored slightly and smiled pleased but embarrassed none the less. The girls shared a smile and Jean patted his knee.

They spent the rest of the early morning, for Jean had only woken just before sunrise, discussing the outcome of the war. With Gandalf acting as translator things ran smoothly even with the speech patterns of the girls he followed them fairly easily. When they asked how he was able to translate so seamlessly he explained that he has a very weak link with their thoughts, nothing to invasive just surface thoughts.

Later that day they changed and washed up slightly. Jean discovered a few other items that were stuffed into the smaller pouched of their bags. The also examined their clothes they had a few changes between them; they each had two pairs of jeans which wouldn't fit the other but they did have a variety of shirts to go between them. They laughed when they got to the "unmentionable" portion of the bags – neither of the girls had packed reasonably.

After dressing the girls were led by Gandalf to breakfast where they met the Hobbits and became fast friends. They were so sweet and funny, who could resist them. They greeted Aragorn with a slight curtsy and took seats on either side of Gandalf. Jean looked up at her sister and smiled. She was trying to teach and learn words with the Hobbits. They would hold up and item and each say it in their own language then try the other person's language.

Gandalf leaned over and said, "She is enjoying herself. That is good, yes? Will you be joining the council later today?"

"I hadn't thought of it I suppose if you think we will be welcomed. I'd like to help in any way we can."

"I'm sure you will be welcomed. You ladies are very much the 'talk of the town,' as you say." When he said that she realized that they were drawing many stares and for the first time she noticed the different groups seated within the dining hall. There was a band of dwarves sitting close together at the opposite end of the hall and a small group of men the doors from which they entered. On closer inspection Regina noted they there was even a group of elves that wore what somewhat different garb then the rest.

From every group, the Dwarves, the Men and both groups of Elves they held at least one persons eyes. It was very disconcerting. She noticed one of the twins enter the dining hall and scan the crowd when his eyes landed on her sister he started toward their table. He stepped up beside her seat and held a hand out to her. Leslie took his hand as she turned to her sister and said, "I'll see you before the meeting, I'm getting a personal tour…wish me luck." Without waiting for a response she swept from the room with one of the twins on her arm. All the while Regina sat there stunned. When the hell did that development happen? Her sister struck again.

Returning to her meal she conversed with Gandalf in between bites of bread and fruit. He escorted her from the dining hall and shoed all but Frodo from the meeting place, a beautiful open air clearing with a slightly sheer canopy, furnished with a variety of chairs and small tables with water pitchers and goblets upon them. Gandalf led her to one of two chairs off to the side in the line of sight where he and Frodo sat.

Leslie was escorted in by El (she decided that they were interchangeable until they demonstrated otherwise) and she sat beside her sister. As others filtered in they spoke softly to each other about each group, having no fear of their comments as only Gandalf could understand them. The jokingly called "dibs" on individuals within the room; Gandalf occasionally gave them strange looks not entirely understanding them.

The Council went on without a hitch however when the Fellowship looked whole Elrond said something that caused a silence to come over the crowd. Gandalf turned to the girls and said simply, "Come stand with The Fellowship. The will be your companions."

The girls nervously stood and walked towards the group of males in the center. They would travel with them at least until Lorien only then they would know their destiny. Some of the advisor began to speak, others yelled, they did not want them accompanying them on this journey. They were an unknown factor and female to boot. Elrond spoke and all fell into silence once more. The girls did not know what was said only that they were allowed to go to Lorien with the party.

Aragorn and Gandalf spoke with the sisters after the meeting and they determined that they were to learn a few things before they ventured out. Each day they were to meet after breakfast and learn specific skills that Aragorn felt they needed. Among them was obviously the common language and defense with and without a weapon. The girls agreed hoping they would not disappoint. They each knew a few self defense moves but they most likely would not work on these men.

Having the rest if the day off they wandered the little garden outside of their rooms deciding not to wander too far as it was nearing dark. They would try to get a good nights rest to be at their best the nest morning.


	6. Sour Grapes

Chapter 5

Regina woke to a soft rapping on her outer chamber door. A ladies maid entered and reminded her of their training session today. Regina thanked the elleth and roused Leslie from her slumber. She had warned everyone the previous night that they should leave her wake up call to her – Leslie was prone to violence when she was being woken.

They each dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, sunglassesand sneakers and headed out to the training grounds. On their way there the recieved may stares and shrugged them off figuring it was from the clothes. But what everyone was looking at were those blindfold things on their eyes.

When they reached the ring (for lack of a better word) they were grated with the sight of drool-worthy men and elves – everywhere. Gandalf and Aragorn approached the women from behind and when Aragorn placed his hand on Regina's shoulder to turn her and greet her he was met with a right hook that he (obviously) wasn't expecting.

"O My God! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it. I didn't know it was you. Do you need ice? Why did you sneak up on me? Oh my god is that blood? I broke it didn't I? Help someone get the man some ice! Put you head back stop the blood flow. I'm so sorry." Tugging his hair she tilted his head back and pinched his nose.

Aragorn slightly dazed looked up at the woman who lack of a better phrase damn near knocked him cold and was now yelling things he couldn't comprehend and tugging his hair so his head tilted back and the PINCHED HIS NOSE! "AH!" swatting her hands away he sat up and immediately regretted it. Dizzy he leaned against the fence and used his tunic to catch the blood. Gandalf was smiling…Damn loon.

Suddenly the tall girl was handing him bunch of frozen grapes. Looking at her incredulously as if to say, "Grapes? I'm not hungry and this is hardly the time…" Then the older one- the hellion that hit him crouched down and took the grapes tugging his hair once more so that his head was leaning against the rails of the fence. She fluttered her hands over his eyes causing him to close them warily then she placed the grapes across the bridge of his nose and eyes. Finally understanding that she was trying to stem the swelling he sighed.

Later, after the commotion calmed down Gandalf was kind enough to explain what she had said after she hit him - and he had to laugh. Here he was going to try and train them (her in particular due to her size) to use the element of surprise and to strengthen their reaction time. They didn't need any training in that he had learned after today. They would begin quarterstaff training tomorrow. He now knew them both to be proficient in horse handling and basic healing. The young one seemed interested in learning more about healing, which could be beneficial to the fellowship.

Many had turned out to watch the girls train although Aragorn knew the reasons some had come he had some doubts as to why others had. His foster brothers were present as were Glorfindel, Merry, Pippin, Borimir, Legolas and Gimli. Some of the other men and elves that were at the training grounds that day stayed to watch the sisters as well.

The swelling had gone down by dinner and the hellion was obviously sorry so he tried to assuage her anxiety. During dinner he smiled at her and offered her his dessert which she gracefully declined. The evening was spent in leisure, many discussing their plans.

The sisters however were left out somewhat due to the language barrier until Gandalf made an appearance. That evening the learned a few more basics of Elvish and Westron from Gandalf, Aragorn and Glorfindel and hopefully by the time they left they would be able to communicate more freely with the fellowship.

Leslie voiced her sister's fears as they made their way back to their rooms. "Do you think we'll be good enough with all this stuff before we leave?"

"Don't know babe but I'm hoping so. It might be easier if we each focus a little more on one language now and then teach each other more of the second on the journey. Or maybe just attempt to learn Westron now and Elf-speak on the adventure, you know get the guys to help with that. I mean every one of them speak Westron."

"Yeah we should talk to Gandalf tomorrow. Thinks they'll have a Westron to Other World Dictionary?" Leslie mused.

"You are a genius! We'll make an _us to them_ dictionary to help us learn on the trip and well get people to help with it!"

"Right now that we have a plan let's have the sleep. Night."

"Night."

With that they entered their own rooms, dressed for bed and climbed into warm sot bed where visions of Elves in tights danced in their heads.


	7. Eatings & Beatings

Chapter 6 Eatings & Beatings

The journey was drawing closer and the fellowship was getting nervous. The usual questions were running through their heads. Were they strong enough? Would they all survive? Would the ladies be a burden? And in the hobbits (and ladies case) What would we eat?

The ladies had tried several different foods that were not native to a typical American girl's diet, well at least not Leslie's. Regina had found new favorites among the Elvish fare – especially some of the dried fruits. Leslie, never being much of a fruit and veggie eater, stuck to many of the starchy foods – leaving out much of the flavors.

They spent a lot of spare time in the kitchen, it was comforting and the people were almost always jovial. They shared some of their chocolate and other goodies with their newfound friends.

The met may people in the kitchen – It seems some things never change (even in alternate dimensions), the kitchen is still the heart of the home. The hobbits spent much of their time there as well. If someone needed to find either girl – they need only look in the kitchen – in the corner – at the table. That is where Regina had her first real encounter with "The Blonde One" as Leslie jokingly referred to Glorfindel.

Regina was carrying her newest tower of books to the table in the corner when Glorfindel came in carrying a young elf, who was clutching his eye and whimpering. He didn't even glance at her as he pushed some things over on the counter and placed the young elf upon it. She dropped her books **carefully** on a chair and rushed to the young one.

"Elrond?" He finally addressed her. She shook her heard indicating that he was not in residence and he sighed. She finally got the child to take his hand away from his eye and saw that he was black and blue and that his eyebrow had been split, she patted his arm and gave him a warm smile. He would not understand her words but her body language would help.

Regina looked up at the tall elf and patted his arm as well. She walked over to the bowl of fruit and removed some grapes then walked over to the water pump and filled a bowl with the cold stream fed water. She placed the grapes inside to soak and as she returned to the boy she grabbed a few clean dish towels. She handed the bowl to Glorfindel assuming he would remember what to do with them – then turned and went to her room for her pack.

When she returned she was carrying the first aid case; Glorfindel, she was happy to note, had indeed known what to do. He was holding a few that were still on the vine up to the child's eye. She took one of the dried towels, dipped it in the water bowl and cleaned around the boy's cut gently. She opened the first aid case and removed the antiseptic and instant bandage. She placed a small dallop of the antiseptic on and let it dry then she carefully sealed the cut with the instant bandage (kind of like super glue). Hopefully he would never even scar.

She then took another dry towel removed the rest of the grapes from the water bowl and wrapped them inside. She had the child lie back on the counter with the make shift icepack. She took off her sweater and made a pillow for the child. He had calmed considerably and she smiled down at him. She pushed his hair back and gently motioned for him to close both eyes.

She turned to find Glorfindel averting his eyes. Confused for a moment she looked down – she was wearing a tank top. Nothing wrong with that – he had seen her in one before.

Okay.

What did she do now?

She approached him and he finally looked up at her. Did he just look relieved? Not exactly an ego boost. Well, guess that answers that question. She had liked him upon first meeting him – he took everything she and her sister did in stride, barely batting an eyelash. But apparently not interested in anything more that the amusement that she and her sister supplied. Well, such is life.

In halting elvish she told him to make sure the boy didn't get the bandage too wet or pull it. He looked slightly confused but nodded anyway. She figured she was just using the wrong conjugation or something – But she actually said something like, "Make sure your male heir does not shower his eyes or pull them apart."

"Diola lle" (Thank you), his voice was low as he took the towels from her hands and began cleaning up.

She wanted to say something but decided against it – what could she say anyway?

She picked the books up from the chair and placed them on the tabletop. When Glorfindel approached she looked up to see that he was scanning the books she had commandeered.

In Elvish she said, "learning" and "written better" then gave him a rueful smile. He laughed and for the first time she saw his smile. Holy, rusted metal, Batman! Talk about a 100watt smile.

He motioned her to stay and ducked out the door returning with a knap sack. He produced a chalkboard and chalk – perfect! The rest of the day was spent writing notes and asking hushed questions. The boy it turned out was one of his students – who had gotten into a brawl with a bigger student.

Many days following were spent in much the same way – quietly in Glorfindel's company. Not that she was complaining. Too bad he wasn't interested.

The day before they the start of the journey, they each had asked the kitchen to prepare some of their favorite foods to be bought with them, for easy storage in their packs. They were assured that it would be ready by their departure.

Next they prepared their packs and other necessities. Broaching the topic of "female needs" was a lot of fun with Gandalf and Elrond. Apparently they had never taken that into consideration. They were quickly supplied with herbal pouches to halt their cycles for the coming year – as well as instructions. It was almost worth it – just to see Gandalf's reaction.

Early the morning of their departure a few of the kitchen staff came to see them off. They had two neatly wrapped packages for the ladies (I use that term VERY loosely). What they were given (by the entirely too happy kitchen staff) was a sort of trail mix, some wrapped pastries, dried meats (tasted like jerky) and herbs (presumably for tea). Regina and Leslie thanked the kitchen staff profusely and as they walked away one of the dishwashers (beautiful – as usual) approached Leslie, gave her a small pouch and kissed her hand before walking away. Regina rolled her eyes. Then noticed El (both of them) glaring at the dishwashers back.

"What is that?"

"No id-"

"Everyone ready?" Gandalf's address to the gathered crowd effectively cut off Regina's question. The fellowship said their goodbyes to the majority - but were joined by a small contingency of elves that escorted them to the border.

When the trees began to thin and it became clear they were to part ways, Glorfindel detached himself from the group and approached Regina. In clipped Elvish asked that she take care of herself and to return safely.

He glanced off to the side and she followed his line of sight – right to Leslie. Leslie smiled over El1's shoulder, while El2 waited (im)patiently for his hug. She knew something was coming. He was probably going to ask for her to put a good word in for him. Damn it.

Then to her surprise he said, in very practiced ENGLISH, "You should come and see my etchings."


End file.
